If a door in a physical firewall is left open,
it reduces the effectiveness of the firewall. This is necessary at
times to move equipment in or out. In a computer firewall, there
are times when certain people outside the firewall need to
legitimately gain access to resources inside the firewall. This
might be employees that travel, work from home or are business
partners. There are technical solutions to this requirement, but
sometimes the easiest solution is to open a virtual door. This is
dangerous as hackers are very adept at finding open doors. Whether
a firewall is protecting home or business, it is crucial to avoid
leaving any doors open.

Once a firewall solution appropriate for any
particular set of circumstances has been implemented, it is
important to make sure it is working. An easy way to perform that
check is by using a reputable firewall evaluation website. It is
important that the site be carefully evaluated prior to starting a
check. Hackers could operate a website that would evaluate a
computer or network system’s security, notify the user that
everything is secure when it is not, and then use any security
weaknesses they find to hack the computer system.

Users should bear in mind that any evaluation
done by a firewall vendor might have a hidden agenda such as trying
to sell their product. Use the methods discussed here to evaluate a
web page that provides an evaluation of a computer’s firewall.

Most computers are not capable of being turned
on remotely. If a computer is not going to be used for an extended
period, it should be turned off. This length of time may vary from
situation to situation. Some people turn off their computers only
when they are going out of town for a couple days. Others turn the
computer off if they are not planning on using it for more than a
couple of hours. For security purposes, users should remember that
leaving the computer on subjects it to a greater risk of intrusion
than turning it off.